Conflict of Heart

Chapter 5

"Thank you, Lesley," both Isabella and Rosa said as the head housemaid handed them each a chilled glass of fruit juice one bright Saturday morning.

The Walker daughters were currently lounging on seats by the pool in the east garden of the estate. The weather was so warm and inviting that the two young woman had decided to take the day off from work and studies to relax and soak up the warm sun's rays.

"You're welcome," the woman replied with a kind smile on her aging features as she tucked the tray beneath her arm and walked back to the mansion.

Isabella breathed in the invigorating fresh air and took a sip of her drink before placing it down on the coaster next to her, shimming her strapless bikini top up a notch when it had shifted from the movement. A deep sigh left her lungs as she reclined in her seat and looked at the nature that surrounded her and her sister.

The east garden was her favourite of all the gardens on the estate. To get to it, you walked through the morning sunroom and down a few steps to a paved area that surrounded a glistening pool. Beyond the pool was a beautiful rose garden filled with every shade and scent imaginable of the gorgeous flower. But what really set this garden apart from the others was the fact that a seven foot hedge surrounded it entirely, and the only way in or out of the garden was through the sunroom.

Although Isabella never understood the point of the hedge when she was little, she understood her mother's reasoning now: she had wanted there to be no possibility of prying eyes while her daughters sunbathed and swam.

Not when they were little and still not now.

Their mother was always very protective over them, and Isabella doubted that she would ever change, but even if her mother wasn't protective, Isabella wouldn't have destroyed the hedge either way. It added to the secrecy of the garden and seemed able to cut you off from the whole world.

It was the perfect place to relax.

"Hey, Izzy?" Rosa asked, causing her older sister to tilt her head to look at her. The younger sister was currently sporting a white bikini, which only succeeded in enhancing her naturally olive skin and long, slender legs. Her bangs touched her eyelashes as she looked back at her sister. "You never told me about that man that upset you so."

And just like that, Isabella's relaxed state of mind vanished, and a huff of annoyance left her lips.

"I know you wanted to forget about him while we were on our ride, but you never told me all the details about why he worked you up so badly," Rosa continued to speak, her sapphire eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Isabella waved a dismissive hand. "It's nothing, Rosa. I was just a little anxious about the meeting, and that was the wrong time for him to reveal his true colours."

"'Reveal'?" the younger woman repeated with a shocked expression on her pretty face. "Since when did you misjudge a person's character?"

Isabella shrugged, avoiding her sister's probing gaze.

The younger woman's eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped as she shot up in her seat. "No way! He actually pulled one over on you! I never thought I would see the day when the Isabella Walker was deceived. You can tell what a person is like before they even open their mouth! So, what made him so different? Tell me, tell me!"

The young CEO shrugged once more, attempting to skirt about the topic, but she scowled when she watched her sister turn onto her stomach and prop her head up with her hands on bent elbows, kicking her feet languidly in the air as she stared at her older sister with a goofy smile plastered on her face.

"Well?"

Her little sister's probing finally wore down Isabella's resistance, and she sighed in defeat. "He was . . . rather good-looking," she admitted in a glum tone, glancing at a particular pink rose bush in order to avoid her sister's probing gaze.